Teen / Tween Bedroom Organization

I recently shared my toddler’s new “big boy” room but we also changed the furniture in our oldest’s room.  It’s been busy around here!  I haven’t done a complete post on my 11 year-old son’s room in the past but you can see what his room looked like here and here.  We had been wanting to update his room for a while because it just wasn’t working for him.  So we recently went furniture shopping and decided it was a great idea to bring him along for his input – not the first time that one of my bright ideas was less than bright.  Of course, he wanted a bunk bed and was attracted to anything “cool” and disregarded all practicality in the process.

I really wanted for him to be excited about his new room but I know that what he likes at 11 may not be what he likes at 13 or 14 so his dad and I had to take charge.  I want to show you the bedroom set that we chose and why we love it, and ultimately why our son loves it too!  At least now he does.

There are a lot of reasons why I love this bed but the first is that he finally has a full size bed (he previously had a twin bed) so we can comfortably get in his bed at night and chat with him before he sleeps.  It’s not something I do all the time, but I cherish those moments when he asks me 102 questions before falling asleep.  The second reason is that this bed included a trundle as an add-on option.  The trundle was an added expense and we briefly considered not getting it, but now I am so glad that we did.

It is a trundle within a trundle.  It’s not easy to distinguish in the picture but the trundle has a sliding shelf that allows almost double the storage.

Since all his books didn’t fit inside the bookshelf, I placed some of them under the bed.  On the sliding drawer, I placed felt-lined bins (from Target) to store smaller toys that end up not having a home.  And that means they end up on the floor.

Ok, and how cool is this?  The bedpost hides a reading light – I was kinda jealous!  My son loves to read and this was a huge plus!

We were only able to fit one nightstand in his room because the other side of his bed is next to his closet which needs to open towards the bed.  This nightstand also had a great little feature…look on…

There is a lid towards the back of the nightstand that conceals all the cords!  Seriously, how perfect is this bedroom set for kids?!

Inside that small compartment is a plug that allows all his electronics to be plugged in next to his bed.

We also purchased the desk that came with the set and the bookshelf.  There were some other pieces available (a dresser and desk topper) that were great but the room was filling up and the wallet emptying by the time we tallied up the items!

The other side of his room has a t.v. and an ottoman that he places all his bed pillows on before going to bed.  Well, that was the idea anyway…

One of my favorite organizing solutions in his room is being able to hang up all his skateboards and pogo stick.  These were items that used to be in the garage but out-of-sight was out-of-mind and he stopped using them.  We want to encourage him to be active so we brought them into his room and it has worked because he now uses them often.  Since I didn’t want those skateboards all over the house, I found these hooks that are probably meant for garages, but they are heavy-duty and perfect for holding bulky items.   Also, I think it decorates the room a bit and adds character to the wall.

After some convincing that the bright blue bunk bed wasn’t the best choice for long term, our son now loves his new room!  It has been easier to keep organized now that he has so many systems in place!

Is your teen naturally organized or does their room make you sigh just thinking about it?  I would love to hear from you…

xo,

Maria

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